Category: News

Sunday News You Cannot Use

Sunday, the world is still on fire geopolitically and I do not want to post about that…how about a few thoughts of unreported news?

Ever farted in public?

I have….and can be so satisfying unless you live in Scotland…..

Well, he got his answer. The Scotsman reports a 28-year-old was earlier this month sentenced to 75 hours of unpaid work after farting three times in the presence of police and asking, “How do you like that?” The incident began in the wake of a car crash in Aberdeen. Police responding to the scene found Stuart Cook speaking to another driver. Officers say they smelled pot on Cook; a search of his person and car turned up a small quantity of cannabis.

He reportedly yelled at officers as he was handcuffed and taken to Kittybrewster police station, where his situation didn’t improve: He was instructed to bend over as part of a strip search, and the court heard Cook intentionally farted three times in the direction of the officer, asking, “How do you like that?” His lawyer said he felt the officers’ treatment of him was an overreaction.

That brings me to another fart story….ever thought about winning the Lawsuit Lotto?  This man sued for seven figures over his boss’ farts.

Let’s talk food…..the new trend/fad here in the US is “meatless meat”…..the Plant based Whopper for instance….personally I want a burger with lots of meat and mayo….but how is the “new” burger taking hold?

Fake meat is having a huge moment right now. With massive financial gains, brands like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are creating an entirely new — and thriving — market.

But not everybody is on board with veggie burgers that aren’t entirely “veggie,” as Vox reports, with critics arguing that fake meat is unhealthy and goes against the idea of consuming “whole,” GMO-free foods.

CEOs of major corporations including Whole Foods and Chipotle have dismissed the plant-based meats as far too processed — a valid criticism considering how companies produce the meatless products flooding the markets right now.

https://futurism.com/angry-backlash-fake-meat

As long as we talking food here…..this is something my reader can actually use….

In closing I share my Fried Green Tomatoes recipe with my readers…..use to be I could only enjoy these in the Tomato season of Summer now with globalization I can enjoy anytime….

  • 2 med green tomatoes
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 water
  • 1 cup grated Romano cheese
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (any oil is acceptable…I use Grape seed on occasion)
  • Pepper

 

  • Slice green tomatoes to desired thickness (I like mine thinner).
  • In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and water. (sometimes I use an Italian seasoning in the egg mixture for a change of pace)
  • In a separate small bowl, combine Romano cheese, almond flour.
  • First dip one slice of tomato into the egg wash, then place it in the flour mixture coating it on both sides.
  • Repeat this step making sure the “flour” coating is covering all of the tomato.
  • Continue until all the sliced tomatoes are coated and set aside.
  • Heat olive oil  in a pan over medium-high heat.
  • When the grease is good in hot (but not too hot), place 4-5 of the tomato slices in the pan.
  • Cook them for roughly 3 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom side.
  • Flip them over and cook another 3 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Remove from pan and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  • Repeat this with the next batch of tomatoes until all the sliced tomatoes are cooked.
  • Serve immediately.  I like a sauce of ketchup, mayo and horseradish. and a little garlic.

Please enjoy the recipe….

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and thanks to all those regulars that spent time with me and IST….your visits are much appreciated.

Be well, Be safe

Advertisements

A Random Thought Saturday

I have returned to the normal FYI stuff for the weekend…..I apologize for the momentary lapse but it was news that needed reporting.

I attempt to find some interesting stuff to write about on weekends for my readers have had enough politics and news for at least a couple of days.

SEX!

I read an article that stated that we were in a “sex recession”……

Sex is like sleep or protein: people freak out if they’re getting too much, and they freak out if they’re getting too little. So it comes as little surprise that when a news story emerges that hints at the latter possibility, it’s guaranteed to go viral. Such was the case earlier today with a report from CBS News focusing on Japan’s “sex recession,” or the idea that Japanese millennials aren’t having sex, which comes with the ominous warning that America may — gasp! — be next.

The CBS News story appears to be pegged to Japan’s National Fertility Survey, which found that one in every 10 men in their 30s have never had sex before — a fairly high number compared to that of other industrialized nations. Experts quoted in the story blame the rising virginity rates on a fairly wide range of factors, from rising national financial instability to the advent of apps offering digital companionship. Whatever the cause, such statistics, in combination with Japan’s extremely low fertility rate, has prompted panic among public health researchers and demographic experts in the country, who predict that Japan’s population will be halved if the trend continues over the next 100 years. The story ends on the ominous note that “this problem isn’t unique to” Japan, and that the United States “could be next.” But is that actually true, and is the so-called Japanese “sex recession” going global?

Are We In the Throes of a Global ‘Sex Recession’? Eh

It sucks to be in Japan these days….and then the article said the America could be next……not if the other news is accurate……

A big number out of the CDC on Tuesday, and it’s not a good one: The health protection agency says there were 2.4 million infections diagnosed and reported from three sexually transmitted diseases in 2018, the “most cases” ever documented in a one-year span, per a CDC epidemiologist. This stat comes by way of the CDC’s newest “STD Surveillance Report,” which has found combined cases of gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia rising in the US for the past five years, CNN reports. Chlamydia claims the lion’s share of these cases, with 1.8 million cases last year—a 19% increase since 2014. Meanwhile, there were more than 580,000 cases of gonorrhea, and about 38,000 cases of primary, secondary, and congenital syphilis. Untreated, these STDs could lead to everything from infertility and drug-resistant conditions to congenital syphilis, which could in turn lead to infant death.

The cases seem to most often involve teens and young adults, and three states in particular rank high: Alaska for chlamydia, Nevada for primary and secondary syphilis, and Mississippi for gonorrhea. The District of Columbia, however, had the highest rates for all three. Perhaps as unnerving as the numbers is that progress on these has “unraveled,” per Dr. Gail Bolan, head of the CDC’s STD Prevention Division. “Not that long ago, gonorrhea rates were at historic lows, syphilis was close to elimination, and we were able to point to advances in STD prevention,” Bolan writes in the report’s foreword. Factors that may be contributing to the steep numbers: a decrease in condom use, cutbacks in funding that led to fewer prevention programs, and increased screening accessibility, which generates more known cases. “Americans have stopped taking STDs seriously,” notes the Atlantic.

I have a thought on the two different takes on sex…..Japan is leading the world in “sex dolls”…..and the US could curb these disturbing numbers…..I will let Jefferson Airplane…..finish out the post…..

Once again we are getting much needed rain…..but that does not preclude a walk for MoMo…..

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Peace Out!

More Breaking News Saturday–Syria

Breaking News just keeps coming…….

We all know and have an opinion about Trump’s decision to stand down American troops in Syria….he has stated that there are NO American troops in Syria now….

To listen to President Donald Trump and his defenders, he’s ended a foolish and previously indefinite war in Syria. “We have no soldiers in the area, you know.  We’re getting out of the endless wars. We have to do it,” Trump said Wednesday in the Oval Office. “We are out of there. We’ve been out of there for a while. No soldiers whatsoever.” He added on Thursday, “We have no soldiers in Syria.” 

(Daily Beast)

Which to my ears is excellent news…..but the problem is the jest of the Breaking News…..but if there are NO US troops in Syria how can this happen?

Pentagon officials are reporting that US Special Forces troops came under fire in northern Syria, near the Kurdish city of Kobane. Turkish forces were accused of firing artillery forces at the US troops, though Turkey’s Defense Ministry denied that this was the case.

Pentagon officials say that there were no injuries, but at one point the Turkish fire was so heavy that they “considered firing back.” They did not fire back, and rather withdrew once the firing had stop.

This incident took place within the “safe zone” that Turkey has intended to take over, despite US officials reporting as recently as the day before that there were no US troops left in that area. Pentagon officials say 15-100 US troops are still in the area, and that Turkey has been informed “down to the grid” where those US forces are.

(antiwar.com)

Trump in his wise and unmatched wisdom has drawn a line in the sand  in Syria…….

The great virtue of Twitter is that it forces users to be concise. One downside is that when an extremely powerful crazy person—the president of the United States, say—uses it, he can sound a bit like the Abrahamic God in one of his more wrathful moments. “If Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I’ve done before!),”

(theatlantic.com)

US Troops attacked!

What will the president do?  There has been a red line drawn….now either make good or slink away with his tail between his legs…..like an obedient cur.

We will see how his wise and unmatched judgment handles this attack on Americans.

I promise we will get back to the FYI stuff of normal.

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Breaking FOX News

I usual write about stuff that is not politics of geopolitics unless that is there is important breaking news….and yes Irene we have Breaking News….

A great journalist is leaving FOX News, Shep Smith…….

One of the few Fox News anchors to criticize President Trump is leaving the network. Shepard Smith, who has worked for Fox News since it launched in 1996, made the announcement during his show Friday afternoon, USA Today reports. Smith said the decision was his. “It’s been an honor and a privilege to report the news each day to our loyal audience in context and with perspective, without fear or favor,” he told viewers. Jay Wallace, president of Fox News, praised Smith as “one of the premier newscasters of his generation” and said the network respects his decision to leave. The Friday show was the final one for Smith, who gave no reason for resigning, per the AP. The network said anchors will alternate filling the time slot for now.

Fox viewers weren’t always happy with Smith’s comments about Trump, per the Washington Post. He’s called things the president has said “absolutely crazy” and defended CNN when Trump called it “fake news.” Trump has attacked Smith and his ratings, as well. The host also has taken on colleagues: After Tucker Carlson said white supremacy isn’t a real problem in this country, Smith told viewers it’s “without question a very serious problem.” The two hosts clashed again last month when Smith defended the network’s chief legal analyst after he was criticized by a guest, per the Hill. Smith called the attack “repugnant.” Carlson played the video of the exchange later, saying “Not clear if that was you or me but someone was repugnant.” In his account, Carlson said Smith “ironically” referred to the guest as “partisan.”

I liked him because he called crap when he smelled it.

Maybe I will start a conspiracy…..

Trump thinks FOX is his personal news channel and at times it looks like it and Smith was not always flattering to Trump so the AG Barr meets with Rupert and the next day Smith resigns.

Did Trump’s AG make some sort of deal with FOX?

Like I said I want to start a conspiracy…..

Legere, Scripsi, Scis (I Read, I Wrote, You Know)

Lego Ergo Scribo”

I return my reader to my normal non-political Saturday….

Closing Thought–11Oct19

Impeachment is all the rage……and Trump’s news service, FOX News, has some bad news for the president….

President Trump has been known to dismiss unfavorable polls as “FAKE NEWS,” but the latest one comes from an outlet he has praised in the past. Fox says that according to its poll, a record 51% of voters want Trump to be impeached and removed from office. Another 4% want him to be impeached but not removed from office, and 40% oppose impeachment. Fox says support for impeachment has gone up among all groups since July, including Republicans. According to the poll, 39% of voters think doing what is best for the country is most important for Trump—and 55% think it is doing what is best for himself. On the issue behind the impeachment inquiry, 66% said it was inappropriate for the president to ask a foreign leader to investigate a political rival.

The Fox poll, conducted Sunday through Tuesday, found that just 43% of voters have a favorable opinion of Trump—though that still puts him a point ahead of Nancy Pelosi, and 16 points ahead of Rep. Adam Schiff. Only 26% had a favorable opinion of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Other polls have delivered similar results, the AP reports. A Quinnipiac University poll in early October found 45% in favor of removing Trump from office, and a Washington Post poll the same week had 49% in favor. In late September, a CBS poll found 55% of voters, including 23% of Republicans, in favor of the decision to launch an impeachment inquiry, though not all of them wanted Trump removed from office

Not looking too good for Trump even on the FOX polls…..but it matters NOT.

It is a momentary look into the minds of the people…all that can change with a good glass of warm milk.

But Trump could not let the poll just die with the next poll…no he had to make a bigger deal than it probably was (as usual)….

A new Fox News poll delivered bad news for President Trump, showing that 51% of respondents supported his impeachment and removal from office. It caught the attention of Trump himself, who clearly wasn’t pleased. “Whoever their Pollster is, they suck,” the president tweeted, adding that Fox “is also much different than it used to be in the good old days.” Echoing a complaint he delivered in August, the president wrote that the network “doesn’t deliver for us anymore,” per the Hill.

Despite Trump’s criticism, Fox’s bipartisan polls “are among the most reputable in the industry,” according to Politico. Democrat Chris Anderson and Republican Daron Shaw have conducted the polls since 2010, and they’re managed at Fox by Dana Blanton, Chris Stirewalt, and Arnon Mishkin, all of whom were the subject of a recent profile in the Los Angeles Times. A Trump campaign spokesman complained that nearly half of the respondents were Democrats, but “that is consistent with their past surveys and mountains of other research that show that more Americans identify as Democrats than Republicans,” per Politico.

Will Trump ever learn that throwing gas on a fire seldom puts it out?

Doubtful!

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Closing Thought–09Oct19

We all know about, if not we should, about all the pollution in the oceans of this world. Of course all think something has got to be done to curb this trend…..one cruise line will do their part…..

When it comes to the environment and sustainability, cruise ships and many cruise ship operators get failing grades when it comes to controlling carbon emissions, recycling, and treating water, waste, and sewage.

But thanks to new technology and the scrutiny of passengers, government agencies, and environmental groups, the tide is beginning to turn.

Norwegian cruise operator Hurtigruten just launched the world’s first hybrid electric-powered expedition ship, the 530-passenger MS Roald Amundsen. The vessel is named for the Norwegian explorer who was the first person to navigate the Northwest Passage by boat and the first person to cross Antarctica and reach the South Pole.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/first-electric-cruise-ship-hopes-turn-tide-war-against-ocean-n1062581

I think that it is noble to switch from petrol to electric but will that curb the amount of pollution dumped into our oceans?

The cruise ships seem to be a problem in themselves…

Princess Cruise Lines Ltd. has been hit with a record-setting criminal penalty for deliberate pollution. The California-based cruise line — a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, the largest cruise company in the world — pled guilty to felony charges for illegal dumping of oil contaminated waste. It will pay a $40 million fine as part of a plea agreement, the Department of Justice reported.

The case came to light after an engineer reported that employees aboard the Caribbean Princess were using a “magic pipe” to dump oily waste off the coast of England in 2013 in order to save money. It is inarguably troubling, not least because the chief engineer’s response to the whistleblower was to attempt a cover up. (The same man was known by the crew as a broccino corto, the DOJ notes, an Italian phrase for an exceptionally frugal man whose arms are too short to reach his wallet.) The ship had a long history of environmental violations, going back at least to 2005.

https://psmag.com/news/how-cruise-ships-are-polluting-our-oceans

Like I said before…I am not so sure that the pollution problem will be solved by the switch to electric.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Mr. Trump, What About That Economy?

2020 will be a mandate on how the economy is doing and how the American people are doing economically.

You would think that if the economy is as good as Trump use to brag about then he would be beating his chest about how damn good it is and that his policies were the fire that started this good burn.

In case you are new and have not been keeping up I have a little reminder of how this economy is really doing…..not the bluster of bullsh*t from some deluded toad and his lackeys….but real facts.

Let me help…….https://lobotero.com/2019/08/15/the-economy-stupid/

What bout all those beautiful jobs and factory re-openings and good times had by all?

It seems the the manufacturing sector is having a bit of a slide……

A gauge of U.S. manufacturing showed the lowest reading in more than 10 years in September as exports dived amid the escalated trade war.

The U.S. manufacturing purchasing managers’ index from the Institute for Supply Management came in at 47.8% in September, the lowest since June 2009, marking the second consecutive month of contraction. Any figure below 50% signals a contraction.

The new export orders index was only 41%, the lowest level since March 2009, down from the August reading of 43.3%, ISM data showed.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/01/us-manufacturing-economy-contracts-to-worst-level-in-a-decade.html

How about all those steel mills that would be re-opening?  That was another economic promise. 

It seems that this sector is not as stable thanx to Trump….

Louisiana is the latest state to see a steel mill close due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

“Hundreds of Louisiana steelworkers are finding out they no longer have a job. This comes as Bayou Steel “unexpectedly” shut down its mill in LaPlace on Monday.

Now, 376 people are looking for new work.

Bayou Steel transports and makes steel beams and other similar products. They also collect industrial scrap for recycling. Company officials say the mill will be permanently closed on November 30, and sent out a WARN letter to parish and state officials Monday. That letter cited ‘…unforeseen business circumstances and the inability to secure necessary capital’ for the closure….

Steel Mill In State That Voted For Trump Closes Suddenly, Leaving Hundreds Jobless

Trump’s economic adviser stated that “Manufacturing is strong as a rock”….maybe they misspoke and meant that it is sinking like a rock.

Then there is all the talk about how well the sanctions Trump has imposed is doing for the country…..really?

The Trump administration has made sanctions a key part of its foreign policy arsenal, placing enormous economic pressure on nations like North Korea and Iran in a bid to force concessions in negotiations with the United States. But is there real evidence that this tactic works?

The U.S. government, it turns out, can’t be sure. A new report released by a government watchdog this week found that although the agencies that implement sanctions track their economic impact, they do not measure whether the sanctions achieve their aim in forcing a target to change its behavior.

https://outline.com/V5rVXb

Finally, what about the federal deficit under the Trump presidency?  Well thanks for the Trump tax cuts the deficit is approaching $1 trillion…that is trillion with a “T”…….

The federal budget deficit for 2019 is estimated at $984 billion, a hefty 4.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and the highest since 2012, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said on Monday.

The difference between federal spending and revenue has only ever exceeded $1 trillion four times, in the period immediately following the global financial crisis.

The deficit, which has grown every year since 2015, is $205 billion higher than it was in 2018, a jump of 26 percent.

The CBO has warned that the nation’s debt is on an unsustainable path. Higher levels of debt increase borrowing costs, make it harder for the government to battle economic downturns and increase the share of future spending devoted to paying off interest costs.

https://thehill.com/policy/finance/464764-federal-deficit-estimated-at-984b-highest-in-seven-years#.XZvfoTG5TFN.twitter

If the 20320 election will truly be about the economy…then should not this stuff be making the news?

Just asking but I already know why….do you?

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

“I Read, I Wrote and now You Know”

Lego Ergo Scribo”